Donna Burgo – the woman behind the success of the Burgo Basketball Association

Saturday

Aug 5, 2017 at 3:21 PMAug 5, 2017 at 3:27 PM

The Burgo Basketball Association basketball complex is the host of this weekend's Northeast 3x3 Basketball Federation's Inaugural Summer Tournament. With its five outdoor courts, the BBA is the perfect place to hold the 30-team event.

Mike Thomas Herald News Sports Editor

DARTMOUTH – The Burgo Basketball Association basketball complex is the host of this weekend's Northeast 3x3 Basketball Federation's Inaugural Summer Tournament. With its five outdoor courts, the BBA is the perfect place to hold the 30-team event.

Steve Burgo is the CEO/president of the BBA and got the ball rolling in 2004 after a scary incident involving his son Lance.

"When Lance was 17, he was playing basketball with his friends next to Roosevelt (junior high)," Burgo said. "A van pulled up and some guys came out with machetes and an automatic pistol, approached my son looking for a drug dealer. My son told them there were just here to play basketball. Two weeks after that incident, I had a court in my backyard. My father convinced me to start a league. That's where it all started. The first year we had 72 kids, the second we had 96. From there it's been 120."

Two years later, BBA grew to the five-court complex it has become. Burgo said today there are 114 teams that play at the complex, located on Slocum Road in Dartmouth.

While Steve Burgo might be the face of BBA, it's another Burgo who deserves credit for running the show.

Donna Burgo, some might say, is the unsung hero of the success of the BBA.

Donna Burgo is Steve's wife and the woman who makes the place go.

"Without her, there's nothing," said Steve. "I depend on her big time. She does all the scheduling. She does the cooking. She runs the concession stand. She does grants, proposals, all the paperwork. She's here until 11 p.m. every night."

"She's amazing," said Kristie Burgo, Steve's daughter-in-law. "This place couldn't run without her. She does everything from registrations to running the concession stand with her kids and grandkids. It's so family oriented here and she would take the shirt off her back for anyone."

Donna Burgo isn't one to talk about herself. She's more of a 'we' person than an 'I' person. At first, she thought the idea of having a basketball court in her backyard where 72 kids would come and play was a little strange.

"I didn't know what to expect, really," she said. "I thought it was crazy at first, but we are kid people and it's become a part of our life and I love it. Last night, just looking out at the courts and seeing all those kids out there was amazing – like ants on a candy.

"I haven't really stopped to think about how it went from 120 kids in our backyard to this. I just know we love what we're doing."

So while Steve is the man who is outside making sure the games are being run properly, Donna is behind the scenes making sure the BBA is being run properly."

"She does everything the league needs," Steve said. "She's the love of my life and I'd be lost without her."

Mike Thomas is the sports editor of The Herald News. Email him at mthomas@heraldnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NostraThomasHN